Toronto Mayor Admits to Buying Drugs

City lawmakers considering whether to formally urge Rob Ford's resignation

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Chris Young/The Canadian Press, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted Wednesday to buying illegal drugs, as he faced a heated city council session on whether lawmakers would formally urge the admitted crack-smoking pol to step down.

City Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a former Ford ally and potential mayoral candidate, asked Ford if he had purchased illegal drugs in the past two years. After a brief pause, the 44-year-old said, “Yes, I have,” the Globe and Mail reports.

The City Council is interviewing Ford before taking up a bipartisan petition signed by 30 of the city’s 44 council members, urging Ford to apologize to the city, resign, seek drug treatment and cooperate in a police drug investigation. Council members do not have the authority to remove Ford, but the motion serves as a symbolic measure to pressure the mayor to step down.

The disgraced mayor later said he he felt he was still a role model for Toronto youth despite his recent drug scandal. Ford confessed last week to using crack cocaine, after months of denials. Wednesday’s meeting is the first time he’s acknowledged illegally purchasing drugs.

[The Globe and Mail]